"Raise your hand if you've ever been in love," Gwen said. Everyone turned away from what they were working on and stared at her. Owen rolled his eyes.
"Christ, Gwen, this again?" he said. "Why don't you just suck it up already and admit that you love me. That's what you want, isn't it? And seriously, raise your hand?" Gwen gave Owen a playful shove.
"Okay, then, don't raise your hand," she said. "But, you know…and I don't love you, Owen." She grinned. "I love Rhys. It is him that I am in love with. He is my one true love." She sighed dreamily. Again Owen rolled his eyes.
"Will you stop?" Gwen said with a laugh. "It's your turn anyway. Go on. Have you ever been in love, Owen?"
"As a matter of fact, I have," he said with a certain edge to his voice. "Happy?" Gwen raised her eyebrows.
"Oooookay…moving on. Tosh? How about you? Ever had anyone to love?"
"Oh," Tosh said, caught off guard. "No. There's been no one."
"You see?" Owen said, waving a hand towards Tosh. "You're just upsetting everyone. Again. God, why the hell do you start things like this, Gwen?"
"Thought it would be fun," Gwen said, with a shrug.
"Right," Owen said. "Fun."
"Uh, how about-oh-sorry." She was looking at Ianto as she said this, but stopped herself, not wanting to make the same mistake she made last time. Ianto smiled.
"S'okay," he said.
"Well uh, how about you, Captain Jack Harkness." "You must have been in love a thousand times, in the life you've lived." She laughed. No one else seemed amused.
"Yeah," Jack said. "I guess I have been in love." He nodded. "Just once though," he then added. "Not a thousand times."
"Ahhh," Gwen said. "Ya wanna…tell us about it?" Owen sighed loudly. Gwen gave him another playful shove.
"Well nobody else got interrogated like this."
"Shut up Owen," Gwen said. She turned to Jack.
"Was it long ago?" she asked.
"No…" Jack said. "No. In fact, it seems like it was only yesterday." He smiled to himself.
"This person….he…"
"Oh."
"I love him. A lot. I never saw it coming, either. It just kinda happened. I didn't want it too happen. Because something could happen to him. Something always happens to people. And then what? And then I just carry on? Don't think so. Not again. But it happened and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world."
"Well," Gwen said. "Back to work, yeah?" Everyone let out a sigh of relief and immediately turned back to what they had been doing before they had been interrupted by Gwen's nonsense. Except Ianto. He had a better idea. He walked over, unnoticed, to where Jack was standing, and grabbed his hand, leading him out of the room, to somewhere more private. He leaned his head on Jack's shoulder and spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
"I love you too."